Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

There is nothing better than a Brussels sprout seasoned with BACON. The flavors work brilliantly together. So, let’s cook them and eat up!

Brussels sprouts are some of the most nutritious crucifers you can eat. Not surprisingly, the more nutritious a veggie is, the more bitter compounds it contains. And Brussels sprouts have some of the most bitter compounds within their innocent looking heads. However, if Brussels sprouts are fresh, they are sweet and delicious. It’s only when they sit around too long that they become more and more bitter.

You want to be sure you get the freshest brussels sprouts possible. I like to buy them on the stalk. Heck, you can even roast them on the stalk! Those cute little sprouts begin the road down bitter lane the minute they are harvested.

If allowed to wither away during shipping, the shelf and your fridge, they become bitter and lose the vast majority of their nutrients. Your sprouts will croak within a day or two so be sure to store them in the fridge as soon as you get them home and munch them quickly.

When picking your sprouts, you want bright green heads that have tight leaves. Even better, buy them still on the stalk. Avoid ones that have a strong cabbage odor and have yellowed or wilted. They will have used up most of their sugars and nutrients.

Roasting concentrates a Brussels sprout’s sugars, reducing bitterness. This is why I usually prefer roasting over other cooking methods. But you can also steam them for 6-8 minutes or cook them in your fav animal fat.

Serves 4 | Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 24 Brussels sprouts
• 3 Tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 4 slices bacon cut into pieces

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 2

Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, from top to bottom. Toss the sprouts with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh pepper.

Step 3

Roast in the oven until tender, about 20 minutes. Smaller sprouts may take less time so keep an eye on them. We are looking for a few brown edges (signs of carmelized goodness), but not too much.

Step 4

Place the pine nuts on a cookiesheet in the oven for the last 5 minutes of sprout roasting.

Step 5

While the sprouts are roasting, put the bacon in a small saute pan and bring the pan to a medium heat. Cook the bacon until it is crispy, 7 to 8 minutes. I like to turn at least two times on each side for even cooking. Remove the bacon from the pan and cut into small bits.

Step 6

Toss the roasted Brussels with the crispy bacon and toasted pine nuts. Serve the cancer-fighting goodness!